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Ammonia Destruction

Removal of Ammonia contaminants is very important because incomplete destruction can cause unnecessary shutdown due to corrosion or plugging issues. It is important the 3T’s (High Temperature, Residence Time, Turbulence) at the reaction furnace are monitored to properly destroy ammonia. A properly sized Reaction Furnace should not have any issues with residence time and mixing, but temperature really depends on the composition of the Amine Acid Gas (AAG) and Sour Water Acid Gas (SWAG) feed.

A temperature of 1250°C (2282°F) is recommended to completely destroy ammonia. A lean Amine Acid Gas and Sour Water Acid Gas (30%H2S, 30%H2S, 30%H2O) feed to a straight through configuration can result in a very low temperature. On the other hand, a split-flow configuration (by-passing the reaction furnace with a portion of AAG) can increase the temperature but can cause catalyst poisoning due to the contaminants included in the AAG by-pass.

The most effective configuration is the “Front-Side Split”. This configuration sends a portion of AAG off to the second or back section of the RF Chamber. With the proper bypass ratio, higher temperature can be achieved on the front side of the RF and AAG bypass contaminants will still be destroyed at the back chamber.

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